


The Stubbornness of the Qun

by catisacat



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 20:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5640325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catisacat/pseuds/catisacat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not only is the "Herald of Andraste" a Qunari, but a Qunari that doesn't speak a word of common.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Stubbornness of the Qun

It was the Chantry’s worst nightmare. Of all the people Andraste could have chosen not only did she chose a Qunari but one that didn't speak a word of common.

Cassandra threw her hands up in frustration at her millionth attempt to communicate with the man. She had taken particular issue with this, feeling almost like he was sent to test her faith. She spent day after day trying to teach him the most basic common to no avail. She knew Qunari weren't stupid, she'd meet plenty who spoke other languages. She doggedly believed that she'd eventually figure out a way to breach the language barrier.

But after every attempt to communicate he simply wandered away without so much as a single word.

Despite his silence he wasn't an unpleasant creature. Without saying a word he'd managed to befriend both Dorian and Sera. He was a weirdly polite novelty to the first and a source of great amusement to the second.

While the two hadn't talked before their mutual interest in the giant man had bonded them. However, their interest took slightly different forms. Dorian would have vehemently insisted his interest was purely academic like Sera’s but anyone could tell that was untrue. The silent, towering man was intimidating, yes, but he was very, very far from ugly. Long white hair, bright purple eyes, dark grey skin, a stern but not unappealing face. Even his slightly more monstrous features like his pointed, almost claw-like hands, cut off horns and oversized muscular frame were a cause for interest.

Sera, of course, teased Dorian mercilessly about it whenever the Qunari wasn't around. Which was usually whenever one of the advisors was trying fruitlessly to communicate with him.

After the seeker’s latest attempt the huge man found himself in the company of the Tevinter and the archer as usual. They were holed up in a corner of the otherwise empty tavern.

“Hey, hey, how long do you think mean ole Cassandra is gonna keep pokin’ at him to talk?” Sera said, tapping on one of the man's massive ornate gauntlets.

“Until we have to find the poor woman a madhouse, I believe. We must be certain to not bring him when we visit her.”

Sera laughed loudly at that and Dorian could have sworn he saw a hitch in the Qunari’s chest. Before he could say anything the thin girl laughed and took a weak swing at the man's half exposed chest, “You hear that, big guy? Gonna be driving the ladies crazy. Think Leliana would take up Cassandra’s shield then? Not, like, the literal one. I just think she's straight buggered by the fact he can't talk either. Just squishy squishes it down ‘cause no one wants to piss off a Qunari by proddin’ ‘em too much.”

Dorian looked over at the silent man who was intently looking back and forth between them. Listening. Despite the intensity there was nothing resembling aggressiveness anywhere. There never was. Just a hint of mild irritation. Even when Cassandra started yelling at him that one time he'd merely sat there and took it. That had only infuriated her more.

“I doubt they'd accomplish it,” Dorian said, gesturing with the bottle of wine, “I've never seen him display even a bit of temper. I mean, he looks slightly annoyed all the time but honestly, who can't relate? This whole Inquisition is a bit of a mess. I mean, we even lost him in an avalanche for a while.”

At that Sera perked up, “Ohhh but didn't you hear what happened then?”

“They… found him?” Dorian asked, looking for a clue in the once horned man's face. He saw a flicker of what almost looked like pride but nothing else.

Sera laughed and batted at the man's massive arm, “It's hilarious! The advisors were running up to him and he just turned around and started walking away! Cassandra had to threaten to chain him up again to make him come back. He friggin’ hates it here! Don't you, big guy?”

The huge Qunari remained silent and unreacting but Dorian felt a pang of sympathy. He didn't know they were essentially keeping the man prisoner.

He put a hand over the man's massive claw, “Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry they dragged you back here.”

Both him and Sera could have sworn a smile was tugging at his mouth. Before they could react he chugged the rest of his large drink and left with a nod.

Sera said one thing to Dorian before retiring herself as well, “There's somethin’ off about him, right?”

He only nodded as well before following the massive man's example and leaving the scrawny blonde to stumble off to her own room.

The next day brought exciting news for Cassandra and her frustrating situation.

A man named Krem came to Skyhold talking about his Qunari-led mercenary band. She might have scared him a little bit at the intensity with which she insisted he bring them immediately.

She was surprised that the Qunari very clearly didn't want to go. Even as Krem awkwardly stumbled over some Qunlat to try to explain the situation. Maybe he'd remembered the wrong phrases or something. Cassandra couldn't imagine why else the Qunari wouldn't want a translator.

Either way she dragged the moping grey giant to the Storm Coast along with Dorian and Sera. She was hoping he'd be more open to learning if his friends were there.However he only seemed more irritated than ever, being dragged around a beach while rain pelted them. It was weird to see a man as huge and muscular as him acting just as prissy as the whining Tevinter who was equally disgusted by the environment.

In no time they found the mercenaries, toddling around behind another Qunari who immediately began laughing when he saw that it was completely true that the famed “Herald of Andraste” really was a huge, hulking “Oxman.” He heard many a villager whisper that when they saw him, as if he was a bull horned reminder that their religion was being “invaded.”

Cassandra stepped forward to explain the situation. He didn't speak common. The importance of his mark. How they desperately needed and wanted his input as the Herald of Andraste.

Iron Bull nodded, stepping up to the silent man and saying something in Qunlat to him.

They were greeted by more silence.

Cassandra started yelling at the quiet Qunari again, something incoherent and primal before actual words came out, “Sweet Andraste! Why?!”

The question was completely rhetorical so it really surprised her when the previously completely silent Qunari opened his mouth and answered in perfect common, “Silence can be as much a statement as a scream. But apparently, you're deaf.”

There was a beat of compete silence followed by Cassandra remaining dead still, completely shell shocked, as laughter began to roar around her. Sera in particular looked about ready to piss herself, just barely holding onto a doubled over Dorian. Even Bull and his chargers were laughing, largely because they were all acutely aware of how impossible it is to make a Qunari do anything they don't want to.

Cassandra was livid as she finally came to. He could talk. The whole time. He just chose not to. She'd heard Qunari could be stubborn but this? This was just childish.

She immediately stormed after him as he walked away. Demanding things like his name, why he thought that behaviour was in any way appropriate, what was wrong with him, how dare he and so on and so forth.

The only answer he presented was his name, Saar, and on the topic of his behaviour he offered nothing but, “You keep me where I don't want to be, I keep my mouth shut. Simple as that.”

The huge man lapsed into silence again as he continued to walk away.

He paused only as he came to Dorian, bending over and whispering playfully in his ear, “I wonder how angry she'll be when she finds out I'm a mage too.”

The Tevinter’s jaw dropped before twisting into a smile.

Sure the world was possibly going to end but at least Dorian had this to amuse himself with as it happened.

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to write one of my, very very plausible, alternate Saar-joins-the-Inquistion timelines.
> 
> The man has no patience for absolutely any of this Andraste nonsense.


End file.
